CE Pro Community

Can I Wirelessly Send Music from Laptop to Receiver?

2009-11-13T13:34:14-06:00

Q Are there any items that will let me send music from my laptop to my receiver, wirelessly, using some type of USB connection?

World Series Prediction: Red Sox Beat Dodgers

2009-10-07T10:01:24-06:00

Want to take a stab at your own prediction or call me crazy?

Posters who pick the series correctly will win a T-shirt from CE Pro (we have a limited supply).

Plus, you will have the satisfaction of being recognized by thousands of members of the CE Pro Community as a really smart baseball guru.

Can My Electronics Heat Hot Water?

2009-10-05T13:12:05-06:00

Q Is anyone working on developing a technology to harness all of the heat generated by PCs, TVs and CE devices and use it to simultaneously heat things like the hot water in a house and cool the devices? - Steve, Dallas

What’s Wrong With My A/V Receiver?

2009-10-19T14:10:23-06:00

Q After I fried our Panasonic home theatre receiver (which my tech-savvy brother had selected for us), my husband bought a used Harman/Kardon AVS 635 on eBay.

It often refuses to put out sound. Some of the time it freezes up completely. Other times, it seems to come on, the screen provides the right message, you can adjust the volume and the numbers go up and down, but there’s no sound.

Sometimes when the screen turns on, after it cycles through its start-up messages, it says “Unlock”.

I have tried resetting by unplugging from the power, which works sometimes, but not always. It worked yesterday, but won’t work today.

I wonder if the “Unlock” message has some meaning I cannot figure out. I cannot find anything about that in the user’s manual.

I suppose this problem may be why the previous owner was selling this receiver on eBay.

Any suggestions? - Ellen McGuffie

Your Expertise Required! How to Answer “Ask a Pro”

2009-02-04T08:18:00-06:00

Welcome to the newest feature of the CE Pro Community, Ask a Pro!

In order to promote your business to a consumer audience, we will be bringing questions from Electronic House readers looking to get advice on their installation projects, products and working with integrators.

If you’re looking to get your name out to technology loving consumers, this is the place to show off your smarts!

How to Answer Ask a Pro Questions
In the Ask a Pro section, there are multiple questions from consumers, each with their own thread.

If you’ve got the answer to their question, simply reply to the thread. Be sure to add your name, company, location and Web site URL. (If you put this in your signature, you’ll only have to add it once!)

Your Company Promoted to the Electronic House Audience
By answering questions in Ask a Pro, your name, company and Web site may be promoted on Electronic House when the answers are shared online.

Not only do you get to show off your expertise here, but you’ll get free press on the biggest consumer site dedicated to the connected home.

What are you waiting for? Get started now!

You cannot start new threads in this section, only reply to them.

Where Can I Place the Center Channel in a 5.1 System?

2009-08-31T08:07:15-06:00

Q Can a center channel in a 5.1 system be placed in the ceiling over the screen pointing downward, or does it have to be placed underneath the screen facing outward? - Clint, Bowie, Md.

RPTV vs. Projection System: What’s Your Call

2009-08-21T07:42:42-06:00

Q I am trying to decide between buying a DLP Rear Projector TV (like the Mitsubishi WD-82837 82-Inch) or a Projector and Screen.

Obviously size is important, but picture quality is even more important. If $5,000 is my budget, which should I go with? - Jonathan L. Kort, Ankeny, Iowa

How Do I Pick the Correct Color for My Home Theater?

2009-07-29T08:07:17-06:00

Q I need help on how to pick the right color for a theater room. - Rosio Chaney, Maryland

Can I Use 2 Amplifiers on the Same Speaker Set?

2009-08-26T07:10:37-06:00

Q Is it possible to use two different amplifiers or tuners on the same set of speakers if they are never used simultaneously? The example is that we have two floors with the wiring and speakers to play music in multiple rooms on both floors. We would like to use a tuner for music in the main floor rooms but still have the ability to use the downstairs speakers as part of a home theater setup. - James/Hilliard, Ohio

Help! My Generator and Crestron Lighting Don’t Work Together

2009-05-18T06:29:26-06:00

Q: Within the last year, I had Crestron automated lighting installed throughout my house, including into my newly built home theater. My electrician then installed the current 20 kW Generac generator (model 5525: http://www.generac.com/Products/Residential/AirCooled/20KW.aspx).

These two aren’t working with each other.

When the generator is on, any light on the automated circuits flickers up and down constantly (though the non-automated lights work fine and do not flicker at all).

When the generator is off, Crestron and non-Crestron lighting works fine.

Crestron engineers haven’t been able to help. They said crystal generators, very expensive and used professionally but not residentially, would be stable.

Crestron offered to swap all of the variable lighting controls for simple on-off units, but then I don’t have lighting “themes” anymore.

Help! How do I get an air-cooled residential generator to work with my Crestron lighting ... now that I have paid for everything to be installed?

This bridge has to have been crossed before ....

Help! - Greg Searcy in Columbus, Ohio